Mail-bag catcher



W. R. SHULTZ.

MAIL BAG CATCHER. APPLICATlON FILED FEB-1,1919- 1,387,518. w Patented Aug. 16,1921.

WITNESS-ES YINVENTOR.

/1 ///Mm 7?. vuzz ATTORNEY.

UNITED, s

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WILLIAM R. snun'rz, or". CAMP LEE, VIRGINIA.

p MAIL-BAG GATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1c, 1921.

Application filed February- 1, 1919. Serial No. 274,535.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM R ,SHUL'rz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camp Lee, in the county of Goochland and State of Virginia, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Mail Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention hasrelation to apparatus for handling mail in the delivery thereof at a station from a moving train or the picking up of the mail from a station by a moving train.

The invention provides a novel form of catcher designed chiefly for receiving the pouch or container holding the mail or other matter to be delivered to or from a moving train, said catcher being positive in action, simple in construction and effective in operation. I

The drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention; however, it is to be understood that in adapting the same to meet different conditions, various changes in theform, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the natureof the invention as claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view. of a mail bag catcher constructed in accordance with and embodying the essential features of the invention, the same being shown attached to one side of the door opening of a mail car and the dotted lines indicating a mail pouch in the act of entering the catcher. f

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, the dotted lines indicating the position of the movable member after the same has been tripped.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in both views of the drawing by like reference characters.

It is to be understood that the catcher may be mounted upon the mail car of a train to receive the mail from a station or may be supported at one side of a railway track to receive the mail from a moving train. The drawing illustrates the catcher mounted upon a mail car and at one side of the door opening, the drawing illustrating a fragmentary portion of such mail car.

The catcher comprises an arm 1 which is hinged to a suitable support 2, as indicated at 3. This provides for swinging the catcher is carried by the member into position for receiving the mail and into convenient position for removing the mail therefrom and so as to be out of the way when not required to receive mail. Members 4 and 5 are carried by the arm 1 and are disposed approximately at a right angle thereto. The member 4 is fixed relatively to the arm 1 and preferably consists of a part thereof being formed by bending a metal .bar'of suitable length upon itself to I provide the parts 1 and 4. The member 5 is movable relatively to the member 4 and is hinged to the latter, as indicated at 6. The free ends of the members 4 and 5 flare to facilitate the entrance ofthe mail sack or pouch between the members 4' and 5. The members '4 and 5 are yieldably drawn together by means of helical spring 7 which 1s mounted upon a rod 8 and confined be- The nut '9 provides for varying the tension of the spring 7, the latter pansible type and supported by the rod 8.

The closing of the members 4 and 5 is limited by means of a spacing stop 12 which 4 and adapted to engage the inner side of the member 5. The part 12 while limiting the inward movement of the member 5 also spaces the members 4 and 5 apart a given distance.

A trigger 13 is pivoted at 14 to the member 4 and is adapted to swing through a slot 15 formed in the member 4. The free end of the trigger is made rounding and adapted to engage a rounding projection 16 upon the inner side of the member 5. When the trig ger 13 is moved to apositionto extend across the space formed between the two members being of the exbers 4 and 5 open and close at their free end.

4 and 5 and engage the projection 16, the 7 members 4 and 5 are held apart the predetermined distance to receive the mail pouch, sack or container between them. As the pouch passes between the members 4 and 5 it comes in contact with the trigger 13 and displaces the latter, whereby the members and 5 swing together and grip the pouch and hold it in place until removed by an attendant.

In accordance with the, invention the catcher is suitably mounted upon a train or at one side of the track and when set to.

receive the mail it is swung outward into posltion to engage the pouch which passes between the members 4 and 5 and is held therebetween after the trigger 13' has been;

used for delivering mail from a car to a sta-' tion or vice versa.

The foregoing description and the drawing have reference to what may be considered the preferred, or approved, form of my invention. It is to be understood thatI may make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A mail bag catchencomprising a bar bent to provide an arm and a relatively fixed catcher member in which is formed an opening and a slot, a companion catcher member pivotally connected to the fixed catcher member, a rod projecting laterally from the pivoted: catcher member and passing loosely through the opening of the fixed catcher member, a spring onthe rod. yieldably pressing the catcher members together, a spacing stop carried by the fixed member and limiting the closing of the catcher members and atrigger pivotally mounted nponthe fixed member at one end of the slot therein and operablethrough the said slot and serving to normally holdthe members apart a given distance andd'isplaceable by the mail to admit of the members closing and retaining the mail after being delivered to the catcher.

In testimony whereof :I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. SHULTZ. Witnesses: f

JAMES YoURN,

Q. 1 MILLER. 

